Politics makes no sense in the economy

As much as I try to avoid taking a stand in the randomness of politics, I was appalled by the lack of common sense in politics.

1. How can Democrats expect a debt limit increase without planning massive budget cuts and expect not to need another debt limit increase in the future?
2. How can Republicans expect USA to pay for previous lavish spending without a tax increase? (I do agree that it is unfair to tax regular citizens like myself who contributed positively to the economy with hard work and regular contained spending, hence never really contributing to the deficit...)
3. How is ROI different across currencies?

Actually the motivation of the post was the last one. It was so funny that I could not help myself. With people like these leading the sheep across the world, its not wonder there is only so much chaos. Where my Avril picture when I need it?

Edit: I forgot to plaster this post but since Straits Times removes articles periodically, I decided to do a Print Screen. Fallacies: (1) predictions on CPI is as vague as predicting interest rates (think China and USA) (2) no mentioned of growth period (3) 5% over a few months is not good news either yearly or monthly comparison. Summary: While putting news on a newspaper is important, but when it is filled with unknowns, newspapers do not add value to society, even if it is the national press. Same goes for political entities.

The 4 A's

I'm not a scholar. I'm not a jock. I'm not a genius. I'm not intellectually challenged. Wait, maybe I am, cause I can't remember too many things and loves to sleep.

Well, whatever. I wanted to deviate from my cynical tone and switch to a more serious, world loving one.

Yes, this is going to be philosophical. Well....only slightly.

To make things easy, I decided to write about the requirements of developing a talent. I worked real hard to find 4 words that start with the same letter, plus I don't really want to waste time and find a word from the 4 initials. Without further ado, I will list what I think is necessary to develop a talent.

It is....drum rolls...OK, waste of time here...The 4 A's. Are you expecting something else?

1. Aptitude
2. Ambition
3. Academy
4. Adversity

I think it is really easy to illustrate the first 3, with a bit of argument for the 4th later.

Aptitude. No, I'm not talking genes like LKY prefers to believe. I mean, isn't Singapore's system trying to show the opposite and say leaders can be made, hence Academy? Frankly, everyone has talent, not just one, a wide range of them, some people having a more acute range, others with a wide range that doesn't even add up to the sum. But everyone needs to be honest. I am honest with myself. I'm not very smart, not very hardworking but I need to use all my wits and labor to survive. That's what I mean by being honest. Play to my strengths, although I still like to play on my weaknesses to see how far I can go with a handicap. Anyway, like I said, you need 4 A's, not one, so read on.

Ambition. This is quite a no-brainer. Where is our great leaders if they do not have ambition? Of course, they need to have aptitude as well, along with the other 2 A's. Why else would you kill all your brain cells for something you will lose at the end of your life anyway? Really, I mean, I really just want to sleep on the beach all day or some meadow all my life. I like the idea of myself being a farm boy. But I guess, I felt compelled to do a lot of things and that drove the first part of my ambition until I met really smart and ambitious people who spurred me on. Really, how far can your car go on only one tank of gas? Oh, wrong analogy.

Academy. This one should be quite easy, but wait, how did Conan become king? Oh, he's fiction. But there are "less educated" leaders as well. They are not taught by school. They are taught by life. To survive, to become better just to survive. Yea, they went through the academy of life alright. Too bad the only things we can learn nowadays are all in school and all from books and only try to marginally apply the theory on work when we come of age.

Adversity. This one is a tough cookie, not just because it means having a challenge, but it is the invisible teacher that makes us grow. Why is it that success is hard to maintain? Is it because the sky is not the limit but the coconut tree is? Bad example. How about evolution? Right, that will do. You and I need to evolve to try to overcome difficulties to be successful.

So, do we really need to know what the missing link between us and apes are? No. I mean, the way you evolve will be different from the way you have evolved. That's the beauty of evolution. It cannot be defined. It cannot be quantified. It can only be felt. Like relativity. No, not the force, Jedi fan.

Now, with all these, does it mean that we can always groom talents? I think this is ambiguous. People come and go. Leaders come and go. You cannot look for them, but wait for them to appear. If you have all 4 A's, you can strive to be a leader, but only time can answer for you.

Also, don't mix political adversities up with adversity. The whole fake drama like the "Cold War" or "Alien Invasion" as Michael "I only have explosions and explosive sex scenes" Bay like you to believe. If there is someone out there to beat you, everyone is. No one wants to hurt you because it could be everyone, including yourself. The debt limit, the fat cats, the Greek Crisis, really, its all fake in the sense that it doesn't matter to you as much as you think it does.

Confused? Yes, we all are going to be jobless. Yes, ALL OF US. So, who's the enemy here? The ones the politicians want you to think is your enemy or yourself for letting the politician lead you by the nose? Yes, they lied and they will continue lying to keep their skin. That is politics. That is not life. If you cannot be honest with yourself, no one can. I will wake up tomorrow as I did today. So will you. Maybe you will do something different, which is natural because it is a different day! So let's forget what the politician likes us to believe in the definition of talent and really put a great show for ourselves. Yes, the one where we go do what is right for us.

And one last note. If anyone wants to debate on "Are Leaders Born or Made?", I have a picture to show you what I think of this debate.

Man, I love it when a cute girl does that with an (almost) smiley face. If only I have a naughty wife like that. OK, off topic.

Oh, even if its LKY, with all my respect of his contributions to Singapore, I do not agree on one ideal way to develop talent. Plus, you claimed that talent is born, not made, which reversed everything you did on forging talent. My 4 A's is only a generic make up of how talents come to age. It can be refined to enhance education and talent development but it cannot be perfected. Unless you want to claim you're God or God's messenger. I prefer you don't.

Also, to LKY personally, Tony Leung will make you look ugly, please veto the movie project before it mars the handsome image you have all on your adventure in 1965. I think that photo of you in the suit in 1965 looks cool and befitting of a political leader. Tony Leung is nothing compared to real kick ass hard work. Sorry for my American-glish. I tried very hard not to add words to the dictionary after inventing "chemicalize" in 4th grade.

Just a bored post

Ya, just a bored post.

Actually, now that I started, I'll keep writing.

First off, grave news. My mother has Stage 2 Breast Cancer. Before I go bonkers, which I don't think I am, I am only going to make "what if" plans. I want my mother to live her life as she wants so until I am certain I need to make something happen and be back in Singapore to ensure things go well, I'm only to sit back and let life go its natural cause. The best part is that my new boss mentioned that he will try to find ways to make things work in case I need to be in Singapore. The worst part is, well, like any parent would, she told me not to worry about it. So, being the smart alec I am, I'll plan ahead.

Now, the worst part is over, time for something "exciting". I was at Ben's family July 4th celebration before I got back into reality. The day at Ben's place was great. Food, chat and just relaxing to how his cheerful family is like. The reality is, Singapore is not going to have fun during NDP next month.

When someone forgets that ripping a commercialized song is illegal and uses it for NDP, its folly at its peak. Now, to use Lady Ga Ga's song of all possible songs out there, that's quite beyond what we just said about stupidity. Well, I'm laughing now because I can always say I knew they were not that good but no one believed me, but I also worry about my friends and family living under such de-oxygenated environment.

The air is as filthy as can be for a developed country and the politics, getting from bad to worse. From obnoxious to obtuse to obsolete, PAP has done it all. To be honest, I am very forgiving as long as I can see results and I understand that the OOO pack will always stand out more than great work, so I would say my acceptance level for PAP is still rather high, but definitely less than 50% right now.

Ok, the obnoxious. Before tearing anyone, I want to say that LKY can be forgiven for saying things like "We decide what is right". He's been there and done that in times of much less stability. It worked last time because a lot of people do not know what is right for building a nation. Now, a silly dude called Vikram Nair followed suit and says "We decide what is right". Well, since he has not done anything, I wonder what he knew that is right. I love to see the aftermath where he says he's misquoted. LKY would never say that. That is the difference. Oh and tell me I do not know any better when I worked with the best and the diverse in USA. No, really, I don't know any better. I'm just a simple guy writing what he knows would work well. Unlike some big shot lawyer taking fat paychecks for running his mouth like he built Singapore.

Next, the obtuse. Well, if the NDP organizers are already not obtuse enough, police in Singapore arrested young boys for working summer jobs handing out pamplets for loansharks. Yes, not the loansharks themselves but their runners who knew no better. Later, police cited it is for their safety and not for the case. I beg to differ. If I am the police chief, I would say it is safer to do so and it is for the case. What if a boy runs onto the wild roads fearing arrests? Now, rather than taking just the heat for this silly act, I would also work on the mysterious rotting bodies that is showing up in various parts of Singapore. Yes, I'm expecting my police to work hard. I mean, if I knew they cannot arrest TPL for the "Cooling Off" offence, work on the next most important thing like actually arresting the loansharks and murderers. Quit giving excuses and apologize.

Finally, the obsolete. Instead of really working his ass off for the $15k per month times 30 months in a year pay, some military dude dared the rest of Singapore to give ideas and not throw stones. Dude, why should my entire family be paying taxes when I need to think of what works for my family instead of civil servants working to make life better for everyone? I work to make my work better, so must the civil servant. Is it just a paycheck job to you, Chan Chun Sing? If so, please quit your job because you do not deserve it. Being a scholar in school does not represent wisdom in life. Oh, and don't get me started on the silly "lunatic fringe" comment. If someone is a lunatic for being against you, you should not be working in the government. Heck, you should be in an asylum. One who works for the betterment of his country should not refuse to listen to people of his country, even if they are not saying the right things. It is YOUR job to figure out how to fix the problem. I am good at fixing things, but I am not paid the gigantic amount of YOUR salary, and my family pay YOUR pay through our taxes, so quit talking and start working.

Well, all in all, that summarizes Singapore politics. Gone are the days when paying well prevents corruption. Now, from "loanshark" DBSS to irresponsible politicians who go around loafing off while we all slog hard at work. Really, MPs in Singapore are a joke nowadays. To check the drains in McPherson when we all know Orchard is a flood risk is a silly way to tell people you are working. Why do we pay for PAPER TIGERS?

Anyway, let me propose my ideas like CCS wanted to show I still love Singapore so much:

1. Revise foreign worker laws to reflect all the same benefits and penalties locals have, and use levies to control inflow. This nullifies the entire argument of foreign workers having an advantage by employers paying less for them than a local. In USA, after I have the necessary paperwork, I can work for any company I want as long as they are willing to sponsor my work visa and my pay. Is it protective of locals? Maybe, but companies willing to pay for my talent are not paying a dime less for what I can do, so I do not feel protectionism here.
2. Increase import channels of groceries and other commodities, thereby reducing Cost of Living. This is the growing problem isn't it and it is a wonder how it is not being looked at already.
3. Reduce GST. Taxes is an important way of controlling cost of living. Apparently, Singapore is rich but the people not so rich, so why bother about a cut in tax revenue when we can afford it and make people happier.
4. Build more HDB. Although I can't believe I am saying this, I also cannot believe that Singapore reduced building HDBs to the point it is today. DBSS is a joke. HDB has no business helping developers make more money. Neither does it need to make more money for itself. The country is rich already.
5. Cut the Parliament by half. Who is doing the work? The PM? The DPMs? The Cabinet? We do not need a big committees in everything. Ultimately, the decision is down to the Cabinet and their Deputies. Its like a merry-go-round now where everyone who knows someone in PAP can try to get fat paychecks by sitting there. That way, people have less targets to throw stones at also.
6. Stop hiring paper tigers. At some point, everyone realizes that the paper tells only so much. The work tells everything so why should my resume be treated poorer than a Bachelor Honors graduate when I completed my Masters, have a few years of experience and the Honors graduates do a "hantakaki" in learning? This paper talk is one of many roots to Singapore's current problems. We need a mix, not an entire segment.
7. Reduce COE. Actually, this might or might not help my father, but its a reflection of many things in Singapore where we pay more for a paper value than the value of the item itself. When you have tarriffs that affect small businesses and the small businesses fail to compete, everyone loses. We need a constant flow of small businesses booms and busts to replace failing big business models.
8. Stop media BS. If you don't want media to publish bad things about PAP, do not go after your opponents either because as an educated country like Singapore, people will figure out the ins and outs of a story.
9. Cut NDP programming to fireworks if you cannot think of anything better. It saves a lot of time and money and avoids ridicule from people, worst of all, Hitler. Ok, that's a joke on a bigger joke of the NDP organizers.
10. Open up documentation and transparency of sovereign funds and companies. Secrecy begets secrecy. The more you hide, the more people think you have something to hide. Why should I not know what you are doing with my tax money?
11. I am not writing the 10 commandments so I am writing an eleventh idea of no idea just to wind things down.
12. Ok, I lied. I have 2 more ideas and I like 13 as a number. Allow multi-citizenships. If it is not stupid enough to have people whose education is paid for in Singapore not to be enforced to be given citizenship and worked for their livelihood, it would be even stupid-er to make expatriates feel less at home when they are able to gain another citizenship. Residency decides how well founded someone is to another country and allowing multiple citizens in Singapore allows smart people who have left for opportunities to come back and contribute.
13. My last idea was drawn from my dislike of GCT and his many shortsighted comments and policies. But my last idea would be more damaging for him than just dislike. We should not create higher positions than a PM or a President. LKY and GCT can act as consultants to the Parliament and Cabinet but not as any part of government. They definitely should not be titled higher than a PM because it causes confusion to the authority of the PM. We see no shortage of such confusion in history and no shortage of it becoming a power struggle. We simply do not need it. Solidifying the true power of a leader is important in any nation because he is the one who is ultimately accountable for everything, even if he has no part of some of the things.

Ok, another bad news. My aunt also has Breast Cancer. Apparently, it is benign and she goes through routine checkups. I happen to work in a Non Profit segment of Marketing Analytics, so it definitely is a way for me to pay forward to make sure people around me is safe and sound. So what's your idea to help your country? Oh, let me guess, how to increase your pay?

Why so serious?

Ok, this is a ripoff from a few things:

1. Heath Ledger's famous Joker
2. Steve Johnson's infamous post TD celebration

Yet, I found myself over reacting to my friends' over reaction to many over rated things that I decided, you know what, I'll write about something I care about for the betterment of many kids in future.

Yep, you guessed it wrong, it's not education. Yes, it is related to education but really, it is more about life than just education. It is about bullying.

I noticed an up tick in the concern over bullying. Like really, when did we know that bullying is a problem? Oh now? What? Are you serious that poor kids are not suffering at the hands of bullies since the beginning of time? Why now? Because some celebrities' kids are bullied? Or some media moguls'? Or is it really a problem? Wait...Bullying existed since the first worm existed on Earth, and people are only worried about it now? Give me a break.

What people needs to really focus on is: Have they done enough good in life to not be worried about being scorched forever in Hell because if Armageddon comes tomorrow like some nut has it, a lot of "nice" people who are worried about things like bullying and corruption, and many problems that are not problems to them until it affected them, will definitely be burn in Hell when Death comes to shuffle us all in line to meet Michael and Lucifer to see who deserves to go into the Kingdom. Me? I don't really care. I think I have done enough to be able to sit around and have a cup of tea with all the big shots up there and chat what the world really needs other than apocalyptic nuts.

Ok, so back on track for the topic of bullying. Wait, wait. I need to state a few things first.

Truths about Humanity, or Life, or everything about the world we are able to understand due to our fantastic evolution with science:

1. Survival of the fittest is a fact, not a myth, because if you cannot win by brute strength, you will try to win by sheer intelligence
2. Power corrupts, another fact because of the above rule, because if you can get everything you want without having to work for them, why not?
3. Evolution is a fact, at least from a theological standpoint, and leads to (1) and (2)
4. Extinction happens when other species outgrow a current "master" race by a lot to the point where regeneration of the "master" race is no longer enough to keep their existence obsolete (I thought of this as I went along, not a fact but theologically sound)

Ok, now I can start.

So, why am I annoyed that bullying is now a public enemy?

First, it happened after so many kids have had their childhood messed up by societal mismanagement. Yes, societal, not just a kid, not just the teacher, not just the parent but society. If a kid is a bully, why aren't others stopping him? Kids don't know any boundaries to begin with, so they need to be put on the right track, which actually happens some times, or perhaps they should be jailed, which should not happen. Right now, bring the whole "bullying is bad" case is poor parenting and education to both sides of the bullying because no one learns from it.

Two, I mentioned learning, how? If you read the 3 points I mentioned above, you should have figured it out by now. Yes, thats how creatures evolve. Defense mechanisms, counter measures, anything. If our DNA did not alter for the past few aeons, how did we have better technology than we did a few centuries ago. But lets keep our fingers crossed as I hope the end of the 4th solar cycle and the birth of our 5th human recorded solar cycle will not render any of our current technologies obsolete.

To add a bit more to what I meant, I'll admit first. I was bullied in school when I was a kid. My teachers did not know, nor did my friends, nor did my parents. But that did not harm me. I later grew up with some of the more "bullying" type of people to be friends, not great buddies but ok friends that will help each other. Yes, I still hate some of the bullies I saw earlier in life but really, other than looking at where their life is now compared to mine, and bettering my life by actually growing older and better, I don't think there is much for me to do.

Dude, I had to be ostracized by the smartest boys in my class, made to look like a weirdo because despite my friends, I am not part of the "boys". I had the bully's mom call me at my home to reprimand me for picking my nose when I was twelve. Heck, seriously? You call the "fights" we see now on Youtube bad? Given the weapons we have on the streets, that's child's play. We as knowledgeable human beings can do better. By the way, my back was broken when I was twelve when one of the smart kid bullies did a judo slam on me for soccer. Yes, SOCCER.

My childhood was pretty much ruined by my last 2 years in elementary school, although I did have a relatively fun and crazy time when I was young. Now, how your kids will be like depends more on how you treat your kids, not just how you treat other people nor other "kids" treat your kids. Yes, the "kids" can be of any age, as long as humanity lives. Do I feel sorry for myself? Yep, maybe I should still be crying everyday now but frankly, no. I am having a good life and I'll do my part to help others have a good life too.

Three, if you stop people from bullying, aren't you acting like a bully yourself? Oh, you can't do this. No, my kids won't do this. Stop that nonsense, everyone makes mistakes. I got punished for my mistakes and I learn well from it. I listen and advise others on how to deal with their life and I learn well from them too. The minute you stop information from flowing because you believe you and your kids and do no wrong, you're obsolete, waiting for extinction. Maybe not in your lifetime but in one of your descendants.

Yes, and power corrupts. The minute you get to call the shots on how others should run their life, I don't expect anyone to be able to be themselves without you calling the shots. Yes, I'll fire my maid which I do not have yet if she keeps breaking my plates not because of money but because it is a household hazard. Oh, and where's the saying that no human should play God? Is that something the politicians, religious leaders, pop icons and media moguls say to others so that they themselves can Lord over people's lives?

And finally, four, the lack of innovation. I need to credit USA and Ryan for helping me understand this. I sort of know it when I was young and it is most probably why I left Singapore. Laws and bans are just pathetic excuses to stop someone from doing something without being legally called any names from prejudiced to racist. Yes, I'll fire someone if they smoke crack and mess up their work but if thats not the case, I'll just avoid crack myself. By stopping the whole idea that bullying exist, how are kids going to learn from adversity? Because they are competing against foreigners? That's nonsense. We are all neighbors and friends living in the same planet.

Fact, I am a foreigner in USA because I'm not really born there. I am half a foreigner in Singapore because I am away for so long. Where do I belong? I belong to Earth. I should have the right to decide my own life, learn my own life and not take crap from nonsensical people. Yep, that's my rule for myself. And I try to help people stand up for themselves. Give a beggar a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life. We all need help from each other and we all learn, day by day.

Yep, the whole hype thing is crap. The media focus on "bullying" is crap. The "counter measures" are crap because as adults, we cannot fix our problems with our societies and resort to the same solutions that kept us alive to keep our pathetic lives longer. Yep, QE, bailouts and after votes are thrown into the hate, post GE complaining. Some good things will come out of it, but most of it is still hot air. I find the lack of creativity in media nowadays boring and obsolete. Really? I need more drama over the petty things in life?

What I did instead of all these and will continue to do is what I have done all my life, Listen and Feel. If you cannot even spend some time to listen to someone's problems, you will never be able to feel their pain. Yep, doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, bankers, managers, whoever. If you tell me that I cannot complain because my suffering is not worse than yours, then you need a brain scan. And yes, your suffering is worse than mine because you're too mentally damaged that you need a brain scan.

What I propose to solve for "bullying" is this: Social Responsibility. I never liked the whole "Green" movement, but heck, I have been conserving for the natural environment since I was young and I may not look like it, I'm quite a tree hugger, as long as the bugs don't get to me because I like to feel the cool breeze.

Frankly, the whole idea of the Social Responsibility thing is this, if you can't execute responsibility, I doubt you can manage anyone's behaviour. Also, your kids are not stupid. They are smart, just like you and me. They learn from you and me and they will adapt. We grow old and become obsolete, but are all people mass murdering old folks? No! Because we're smart enough to know that wisdom does come with age. Some get it faster than others. That's why Social Responsibility is more important than some rule or law that prevents bad people from being bad. Because there are bad people, like how apples will rot naturally and the whole "Power Corrupts" thing.

By stopping a bully or putting him or her on ice, we are allowing stopping our kids from evolving into smarter creatures. Also, who says bullying must be using fists? My bullies were sophisticated, smart and never really threw any punches. Where did they end up? Not doing society any good, that is one thing I know. If they are bad, they are bad. We punish them for what they did, no more, no less. What we need to do is to ensure that everyone gets the same amount of opportunity.

Ok, not completely equal, since we know from the earliest days of life that not all things are equal but you know what I mean metaphorically. It's not like I can control other people's life anyway so I cannot ensure that the brightest kids can grow out of being bullied or resist bullying others. But if I can put them on the right path as much as I can, I know they will grow up happy. I think that's what you want as a parent, right? Or no? Ok, I'll stop here regardless then.

Today, I successfully explained the idiosyncrasy of having fiat money. We need fiat money but we should not be a slave to any form of money, real or fiat. Yea, I felt like a good preacher today. And if you feel aligned to what I said about the whole nonsensical drama about bullying, I think I did even better. I'm definitely open to how we can be charitable to our community and help kids learn how to deal with bullies, defend themselves and not to become bullies themselves, and if you feel my blog might help people understand how to form a better community, feel free to pass this post on.

Ok, I might want money for it but that's not the biggest thing in my mind. We'll figure it out when people help one another more.

Time to finish the beer I have before I started this post.

Un-Hibernating in May

Well, I finally caught some time to spare to blog, especially after wasted time driving and waiting at a MVA to realise I need a million other things to register my car.

Anyway, I thought I wanted to blog because of all the nonsense going around all week in Singapore.

For starters, I'll have a legend key:

WP = Worker's Party, GE = General Election, SG = Singapore, OPM = Other People's Money (Taxes),

LKY = Lee Kwan Yew, LHL = Lee Hsien Loong, LTK = Low Thia Kiang,

MP = Member of Parliament, FT = Foreign Talent, CPI = Consumer Price Index,

FB = Facebook, MVA = Motor Vehicle Admin, QE = Quantitative Easing

One, as I now know that Hougang is again safely in WP's hands, I don't care much more than that. But knowing that SG still has a lot of selfish, incapable MPs sitting on insanely high wages on OPM does make me very sick.

Two, the (non) creativity induced nonsense spewed to get people to vote with their "mind", not their "heart". This makes me sicker, and justifies my thought that the current crop of ministers can't handle what's left of LKY's mantra.

Three, for all the science and tech stuff we're proud to be capable of in Singapore, really, explaining the "problems" in Singapore is that hard? Really?

I really want to get this off my chest but I thought it would be really be misunderstood if I put it in less than three paragraphs on FB.

GDP. Can a country's GDP grow like SG organically? Yes. It's only a numbers game anyway. Print as much money as you want and your GDP can "grow" from 1 trillion to 2 trillion. Of course, I left out details of how the financial system works but I'm sure you get the gist of it. But Singapore did not do QE. So why the explosive growth?

Well, for one, with USA and Europe struggling with debt and unemployment, where do people put their money? Japan? China? Taiwan? Hong Kong? South Korea? Singapore? Well, pick your poison. Either way, there is always a reason not to put all your eggs in one basket.

Still, being one of the tidiest places on Earth, Singapore does make the top of many banker's place to be in. Oh, did I mention that people are generally bilingual in English and one other language, like Mandarin, Malay/Bahasa or Tamil?

Ok, so why didn't my paycheck grow as fast? Well, not mine, since I'm in USA.

Let's stop for a second and look at Singapore's population growth. Why population growth? Well, if there is only one gold bar for one person, he is rich. What if there is a lot of people? Yea, duh, everyone will fight, so no one is rich.

Now, Singapore's population has grown at least one percent almost every year over the last two decades. There are only three years with less than one percent and only one with a negative, although it is quite a strangely large drop in 2003, maybe because a few immigration law changes.

So, is most of these growth organic? Well, maybe, but that means at least a family in a hundred has a new baby every year, not taking into account deaths and aging. So no. It's because of Singapore's FT program, from actually screening good candidates to blatantly giving away free citizenships.

I have no doubt the people we scouted are smart, but how many are loyal? Productive? Blended well into Singapore's kampong culture while many upstarts are trying to get out of it? Are we treating them as part of the family? All these affect how good the society is. As a foreigner myself in USA, I know what it feels when locals are pinning problems on you, and I have absolutely no illusion than SG's version is any different.

I know at least one example where we brought over the smartest man we can get from another country, only to have him leave us for greener pastures because NUS is not big enough for him. This is uncommon, I know, but this is not rare. And this is of no fault to the man in question, or the many immigrants who came to Singapore. It is the program's fault. You cannot blame people for taking free money when MPs offer it with OPM irresponsibly. Maybe you can blame PAP, but did anyone try to advise otherwise?

Ok, not to ramble too much over something which I condemned long ago anyway. Now, with steady, if not strong, inorganic population growth, CPI will go up faster than it does in general, with or without GDP growth.

Add the foreign investments that has come into Singapore, or perhaps simply Singaporean (people or funds) withdrawing funds from foreign investments, that explains the GDP and CPI increases. Let's not forget all the well publicized problems with other countries, hurting supply streams of oil, vegetables, fish and whatever you need in your life, yea, life is expensive.

Now, how does all this affect paychecks? Well, no connection really, if you believe what I read, but of course, I don't. I love to see connection in things even if its not there. Well, I am not throwing darts into the dark for this one though.

SG have a large supply of work, turning into a huge demand for skilled workers, but wait, we're also growing our supply of workers through FT. We're also importing people to do the harsh labor work we no longer want to do, so, am I getting the best job I can get in the market?

Let's see. In 2003, I came out with just a BSc in Stats. I can't get into Department of Stats because I do not have do honors for playing around too much taking courses that I think will help me create the craziest math theory in the world, well, so I did temp work there.

So, while I was there, I found out that I am equally trained as my supervisors and I think now, I code far better than them. Oh, I also do analyses, although RCI did not give me any modeling opportunities other than simple ones, so maybe they win in that one. Still, I'm good at automating reports. I like to look at things outside the box. But wait, I'm not good enough for the Statistician position in 2003. Do I believe that has changed now? Maybe, but I have a MSc now, so it's a different scenario we're talking about.

So, can I get a high paying job in Singapore now? Probably, with my current qualifications and work experience. Would I get the same opportunities if I had stayed in Singapore? Based on my personality, probably no. I'm too much of a wild sheep. Unsynchronized with the other sheep because I like to be myself. But I am also too in tune with the herd, preparing for the worst like most Singaporeans. Not preparing for Doomsday like the funny stories but similar.

Ok, so does my experience explain why a typical Singaporean's paycheck cannot grow? No?

How about some logic now?

Good GDP growth, good.

Good population growth, good? Yea, it's good. I like more friends anyway. Ok, back to the point.

Good growing demand for work, good.

Good growing supply of workers. You decide. Need I mention that the need for MSc isn't really there in Singapore anyway? So maybe I won't really get paid as well as I am over here, even with the low tax rate. Simply, I'm not the only smart human around. And I'm not even near being smart enough in the world.

Oh and yea, SG need more PhDs to push us higher in the tech world, but we don't have that many PhDs, so we import them. Yet, we don't aggressively get them to train Singaporeans.

Maybe, it is ineffective to get them to train our citizens because they are too smart.

Maybe, we don't give enough opportunities to talented Singaporeans to learn from them.

Maybe, we brainwashed Singaporeans with Capitalism so much that learning from the smartest isn't efficient enough for most people to make a living?

Anyway, does that explain the disconnect between GDP growth and salary increases?

One thing I like here in USA is that I can fight for what I want. I can challenge myself, fail and given an opportunity to try again. If I feel I can get paid better, the only thing stopping me is myself. If I am really not as capable as I think I am, all I have to do is to challenge myself to accept the truth. Either way, I am myself.

So, am I sympathetic to the "problems" in Singapore?

Yes, because I have friends and family there. Did I also tell you how much I think it is still a good place to be in?

I always try to advise them what to do even if times are tough. Coming to USA is another big challenge and not everyone wants to take that up, and I understand that. I don't advise it for everyone but I definitely support any courageous effort.

So what do I dislike about all the "drama" I'm hearing from the internet and friends to make me complain this much?

Everything. Really. Everything. Frankly, if I learnt something in my life that I didn't know before over the past year, it would be that I am myself and I always have to do what I think is right. That is where the mind and the heart is the same thing.

Singaporeans can argue for or against PAP, from the dirty tricks LKY used to gain power, to the great work he did with Singapore, to the excess fat the Parliament has gathered over the past few years with their insanely high pay to the many smart people we still have in PAP. People should just decide on one thing. What do you want?

You can argue that you don't know it when you're a teen. You can explain you are misguided by propaganda over the past decade. But really, in GE, you only have one thing. Decide on what you want now. Regretting past mistakes is normal, but how is your past mistake affecting your current decision?

I know what I'll do.

I will whine like I have been since young about things I don't like.

I will complain like I have since young about things I don't understand.

I will listen to your problems and care for others like I have since young.

But I certainly am not stopping to think about all these nonsense more than that one minute that I need for this. I have far more responsibilities to far more people in my life since young.

If you want PAP like you have since 1965, then go ahead, vote for them. If you dislike certain overpaid politician, voice it out and make a stand. If you want a change in Parliament, vote for the opposition. Either way, its your choice. Party lines do not affect how I vote.

LTK did a good job for Hougang and I think he left a good lieutenant to succeed him so he can take on Aljunied. If he ages enough like CST and becomes incapable or simply that I worry for his health out of goodwill, I'll not vote for him. WP will decide on how my town should be run.

But I don't think LHL has done anything bad to Singaporeans, so I will continue to respect his leadership, especially with LKY mentoring him. I do agree to the fact I cannot vote against him, but there isn't enough proof of incompetence to make me do that either. If he makes a big mistake or a bad policy, I'll adjust my assessment accordingly. And I will be watching, for myself, my family and my friends.

Most importantly, I decided to work in a country where I think I can develop myself well, even if it is not where I was born. All animals move from time to time, including humans. So I did move and do I regret it? Maybe, but why think?

I have to surmise that I cannot see how PAP will remove their excess fat if they don't restructure, but if LHL tries to reinvent himself, maybe. But most importantly, no matter how much you complained, it is just words if you don't put your money where your mouth is. Unlike the many foul words a bully can throw to ruin another person's life by perception, complaining is like looking at yourself in the mirror. It is natural and it is just what it is.

As much as I don't like this line, or how it pertains to the person who told me this, or the many things I can complain about the person who told me this, it does work. "If the kitchen is too hot for you, get out of it."

As of this time, GE counts are all out, with all forms of media tormenting people I know over LTK's exploits in taking over Aljunied by delaying the inevitable announcement. That is probably why I really wanted to write about this. Really? The results is out at midnight and you can only announce it at 2am on TV?

I'm definitely glad Hougang will continue to have taller grass than other towns and I think LHL will rethink how SG looks at PAP now. Either way, I cannot predict what will happen until life comes around.

Also, luckily, I did more productive things like work, eating ice cream and blogging since midnight. And thinking how to actually not waste another trip to MVA for my license and title. And wishing all of Singapore a Happy Mother's Day because I am sure my mom will be happy.

Either way, I win, not because I won anything or outdid someone, but because I am happy. Do I really need to really do something to think I won?

Respect the elderly

My trip from Singapore made me think a lot about the concept of filial piety. Well, to say the least, my grandpa was hospitalized 3 days after I reached Singapore. Of course, the main thing is that we want him to be alright but the fact that he was unwilling to listen to our advice for 5 weeks before that made things difficult for us. Not to mention the fact that he demanded my grandma to stay with him in hospital almost 24/7 while he's there. The good thing, he was healthy within a day, but the bad, he was capable of his usual mischief right after that.

Well, that's not the worst of it, with his whole life littered with issues that I always find his character questionable. Of course, at the end of the day, all his children and descendants want for him is that he is happy and healthy. He is healthy, but he holds onto many little grudges that not only makes him unhappy, but also the lives of my grandma's children and grandchildren difficult. I must make a distinction though, he tortures my grandma's branch of descendants, not so for his other "family".

Well, anyway, I checked up Wikipedia for Confucianism and its definitions of filial piety and relationships and I was pleasantly surprised that what Confucius said is similar to what I think is the right balance of family and parenthood relationship. While the children have duties to fulfil, the parents have an equal amount of burden to share. Give and take a few years of aging and it relates well to how my family is. I must say that I am thankful that my parents share the Confucian philosophy of life and tries to be worry free both for their loved ones and themselves.

Well, Mike was telling me about Strauss and Howe's theory of generational changes and I think what I see is a global thing, rather than their theory of within USA. There are times where progress lead to internal strife, especially when everyone only thinks about themselves which occasionally leads to massive conflict. That will change how people treat one another and their loved ones, but the vastness of the world means different countries experience these changes at different phases. Well, I'm just postulating, although I did have a similar idea before I even read about Strauss and Howe. Well, they're rich and famous and I'm still simple me. Where's the similarity though?

I was quite unimpressed by my visit in Singapore. Kids getting rowdier without the benefit of intellectual growth. Rules getting set when the offenders are still at large and proudly offending. General themes of competitiveness yet with a glass ceiling planted into everyone since birth. Its everywhere in the world, so why am I complaining? Well, everyone is complaining in Singapore about everything with the inert sense of self entitlement. The docile Singaporean is gone in my opinion, all now trained to run first from a fire rather than save whoever is still stuck in the fire, ready to push whoever in the way down to feed the tiger that chases them.

Ryan always complained to me that he gets bumped left and right in Singapore even as a hulky American. Right, that is because everyone dash without concern for others towards their destination, looking blankly into space either onto the ground or deep into the wall. Running for trains on the way home really got me laughing sadly at the situation. Is five minutes of train waiting worth all the hassle of squeezing with other people and running people down? Is it worth risking getting injured falling over? I wonder who these people live with, their loved ones or their creditors?

Am I right? I don't know, but perhaps if I speak my mind, it will provoke people to start looking and act properly. People usually stand up well against a common enemy. Well, not that it is not already too late. My answer to the Singapore Budget is as such, If the monetary value of Singaporeans goes up by a third, doesn't that mean that the cost of living goes up by a similar margin at least? The key to a happy life is to have a simple life. Keep cost of living down and even paupers are happy.

Singapore Dra-g-ma

If I have to reiterate my disgust at the lack of depth and talent in the Singapore showbiz, I think I have to say it is WORSE than Armageddon or Apocalypse, whichever you are more familiar with.

There is this 9pm show which is supposed to be "family" entertainment which is obviously the epitome of lousy scriptwriting and directing. So tell me, why is viewership dropping faster than a rock? Oh! It's the economy! Yeah right.

Ok. I shall list the bad points below like a bullet presentation.

• Script: In order to show the EVIL of people, the bad people always have to be the WORST a man can be. Hello, which era are we in? Do we need periodic brainwashing that tells us, yes, this attitude is bad, that attitude is good? So all hell must always break loose until heaven punishes the evil in dramas. Erm, in that case, would the Gods not be busy? No wonder people are idling in their footsteps and not working for the good of man like God or the Gods really wanted.
  
• Dialogue: 10 year-old talking like a grandmaster of life. Huh? Ok, Buffett started investing at 11. 11! I am still playing football at that time and looking at the young girls across the street at 11. Maturity may vary, but if you tell me Buffett talked like a centurian when he was 11, I would say either you are nuts or Buffett is an alien. Geniuses exist, but the show is obviously using the most impossible scenario ever. There are many instances of advanced maturity in showbiz, and obviously, this is an insult to the smarter scriptwriters.
• Directing: Ok, you can say that I'm picky on this one, but your scriptwriter is already in the dumps and if you don't use commonsense to maintain the balance of the show as a director, you really are wasting people's money taking that fat salary as a director. Ed would be laughing his butt off once he sees these shows. One example, screaming, fighting in public places always attract little or no attention. No fight watchers, no good will people, only the characters in their small world. Wow! What an enclosed world!
• Attraction: Non existent. Singapore shows have followed Taiwan's example of showing fights and screaming dog fights between people who are supposed to be our everyday nobodies. Are you saying that Singaporeans fight and scream at each other every day? Which part of Singapore are these guys from? Even punks have little time to fiddle in everyday fights.
• Attitude: Nobody believes in chivalry. Men will always like to hit women and women like to scream for no reason. Huh? Either the scriptwriters have very poor manners or they believe that others always have poor manners. Poor souls. They should hang around with my lot more. We may not be the richest people around, but we are happy and forward looking. Maybe I am the only one left in the world to believe in chivalry and justice, but I'm sure that others are not on the evil side of life. Man, these shows are bad for kids.
  

Frankly, I always believed that Singapore is a decent place to raise kids. Fast pace of life to bring out the competitive edge, insanely strict governance to maintain the absolute safety of the people, but perhaps the opening up of the media have allowed the media garbage to spill over a bit. Well, it doesn't really matter really. If you believe in free market, believe it till the end. Weed out the bad and bring in the good.

Name brands do not always deliver. Just because everyone subscribes to the channel doesn't mean everyone watches it. I think SPH should wield the axe on the redundant fats they have in the broadcast section. One, why do you need 2 Mandarin channels in Singapore? Two, how can you keep the ineffective for so long? Three, why is this money losing company still allowed their excesses?

All in all, the television channels, from planning to production, have lost their value significantly. You don't need sleaze to attract. You just need quality. Other than the often boring news, I think I don't have much to watch. Especially when the companies are too poor to increase their purchases of quality shows. If you can't attract the masses, how can you be the tool of Singapore's always effective communication?

I do hope they improve, at least for Singapore's sake if not for my viewing pleasure.

Audaciously Impetus Greed

I had a hard time coming with good words to describe AIG. I do hope this explains my disgust for them. To have provided poor customer service and selling bad investment products at a ridiculous premium, hence comparable to extortion and fraud, AIG has gotten itself as a perfect lamb for the slaughter.

Cuomo requested that they compensate the taxpayers with the free and luxurious lunch they audaciously took after being bailed out by the government and I think while it is ridiculous to limit CEO pay, hence not rewarding truly good CEOs, I think AIG employees should be prosecuted to set an example for this mess.

My experience with AIG. I was sold an investment product that devalued over 40%, and losing most of my retirement money. Of course, I'm young so I am not that worried, but that loss includes my dad's losses. Worst of all, it was sold to him by his childhood friend with ridiculously misleading charts showing explosive growth. While I was unable to advise my dad, I can't believe his friend would do that to him and me. And as easy as it is, one can guess it is an AIG product. I'm gullible, yes. So cheating me is easy, but if I get killed for nothing, tell me what you would do if you are the victim.

Now, that is not all to the story. To right the wrong and do my own research, I emailed them to get the disclosure of the full holdings. If something loses 40% and it's not your money, I think it is ethically responsible to give full disclosure. It is a law in USA especially with quarterly and annual reports, and why should it be different for Singapore? Such abuse must end if Singapore is to get to be a great financial center.

Although it is not fraud by law, it is definitely technical mugging of the innocents. And do I have proof of their acts? A prospectus printed recently and the emails. I wish I can find a lawyer to put this grieve to rest. Of course, I did not do that because the fees would be worth more than my loss...

And why should they have a luxurious vacation? I have not heard of a bankrupt company being able to do such a thing so it is travesty. I can't believe that one would be so disgusting as to go for such a trip knowing its taxpayers' money. And I don't think they are that good to be spared from the law.

I would say that there are always good AIG employees, but the ones that are known to public and myself are not the ones. Neither are they decent enough.

The American Dream/Nightmare

When I first got here, USA was in the middle of a decline, people started to act ruthlessly indifferent, tolerance level was nowhere near acceptable or marginally receptive. That is the truth of life. When push comes to shove, a lot of people will kill to even breath another second of air.

Yet, besides all this, there was still the notion of the "American Dream". Cheap credit which does not exist for people like myself, I feel cheated by the system that sweet talked me into coming here. But, that is really just one of many things that is wrong. The fact that the sentence "You will be considered for funding" has been sung into my ears for two whole years, yet only the chosen ones get the cheese. That example in education system turns out to be representative of the country as a whole, despite many efforts to change. Well, mostly lip service.

What is the same. Simple, Wall Street. Banks can afford to pay even the least productive of workers fat bonuses where smart people need to slog in the area of science to get mediocre wage. Indeed, money attract flies, but the system's lack of proper regulation make it possible for the most obscene things happen. Now, the world has to pay for the greed of a few.

Today, Dow Jones sank for a third straight day, my equity fund made a 40% loss before I can pull out. Partly due to the indifference of my father's friend towards his friends and clients. After all, making money is everything he cared about. Losses made by my father and me, and many of his other clients, are none of his business. The banking industry has gotten way over its humanity and disregards the important pieces of business, customers and trust.

In my mind, these crooks should be severely punished and the banking industry heavily regulated. I do not know which model works best, but Singapore's less than perfect democratic stance for its favoritism of stability over freedom is what I believe many people prefer in times of need. Would you prefer freedom or a bowl of rice? Only those with money would prefer freedom. Before any argument is added, would you starve your loved ones for freedom? That is what I respect of many parents who worked through poverty to see their children succeed.

Anyway, if the "American Dream" is to continue, then a lot of people will suffer. To date, young Americans have a tough road ahead and the ones that created the situation might have been their parents. I'm not a parent, but I have not seen one who does not have a loved one. Even for an egoist, to ruin the future of others equates to ruining oneself.

The unfortunate thing about the current scenario is that house ownership is a top priority of US presidential candidates. Why? That earn votes. I definitely want a free house, but nothing is free. Most probably someone else pays for it. Why should someone else pay for it? I'm anti-luxurious unemployed benefits. Benefits is used to take care of needy people, not people who want to be in need. The abuse is ridiculous.

But may I say one thing. Why is someone living out of his/her means, living in a house that is worth more than a century of his current take home salary? Yes, its hard to give up one's dream house, but is that more important than the future of the nation? The fact that all the market is doing now is delaying the true bottom of the housing market. Excess supply meets near extinct demand. Since the house will be worth zero anyway, its more like a natural retribution on one's greed, except that "profits are personalized, losses are socialized". Unless USA can snap out of this cycle, take a step towards cleaning the mess, I, like many, believe that this "not" a "recession" will be comparable to the Great Depression.

"The Guilty Shall Be Punished". Unfortunately, that's not true, yet.

Torment of idealessness

Weeks away from the blog. Why?

Football season is over. Basketball season is over. Not to mention the hike in gas prices made life a bit uncomfortable. The worst part I'm losing money in the stock market. Well, I have come to the conclusion that my conservativeness is not conservative enough. Unfortunately, I'm feeling upset that my richer friends can't see the problem.

You see, like when I was studying my Masters, I'm worried that my family will need help paying for the house. So, while they can afford to lose money with enough backing to go back to in their family, it's a different family upbringing for me. As the eldest, I see it as my duty to remain the flag bearer who needs to stand even when everyone else is beaten down. So while I might whine a bit like a kid, I feel I genuinely can't afford to lose too much ground. And it's not personal. Not me directly at least.

Anyway, for whatever reason, these few weeks is also a downturn in my ideas. I'm also finding my expenditure for my apartment is getting unnecessarily high. Maintenance fees, cleaning, space, whatever. I think the "Sometimes I don't really care" attitude from my roommate is probably a mitigating factor as well. It's easy to say I'm being negative, but if I put in effort for stuff, I expect people to put in something as well.

Ah well. It's funny that bad things must always happen together. Like above, my ideas is also running into a dead end. There is a skeleton for my little trial novel, but I'm just running dry for a while. To make things a bit more edgy, I contacted a friend to see if her husband can help. Not in terms of idea, but in terms of experience. Her husband published a fantasy book before, so I thought I could get some idea what I need to go through. I'm not sure if the shut door I got was because they thought I wanted more help that experience pointers.

Of course, these aren't really the only bad things happening. So to top it all off, I decided to declare myself broke. As in, no fun, no excitement, just plain Joe from step one. Well, I'm living pretty cheap actually, but I suppose I can find excess fat to rid myself of. And as the flag bearer statement, I think precluding my savings for my parents' house is the best I could do to ensure that they have a backing right now. Well, that probably means I definitely won't get married anytime soon, but I did not have a girlfriend to begin with, so that was easy.

X'mas thoughts...

Well, I have been researching ways to increase my income. Well, not exactly fighting for a pay rise although I do expect it more or less. I'm talking about passive incomes. Like investing, finding internet resources and others. I do notice that I am a lot later than most internet inhabitants in terms of finding such income streams, but like a lot that I have seen, most aren't realistic ways of creating income. Anyway, I have started a few projects which I hope will be successful, like the below...

• Write a book
• Create an informational website
• Get good real estate
• Have a good investment stream

I must admit that most of the ideas I have are not very applicable. Like story, I'm thinking of a fantasy story. Website? Not enough information and traffic. Real estate wise, money is an issue, even if I consider borrowing from my aunt. Then again, I do think I need to try at least. If not, I'll be letting my 2005-2006 really go to waste. It's in the dumps already, its just how rotten I perceive the experience to be. I made a lot of friends, but simply, my dreams effectively got dashed there for no reason.

OK, one last thing. I'm going to write just one more post about Brady before the last Patriots regular season game. I happen to see his interview on 60 minutes, after wasting 40 minutes on 2 other rather irrelevant sections. One is about a pastor making money...which is explained by helping others...well, there is a limit, just don't break the greed limit. One is about genetics linking families...yeah, but with a long history of migration, anything can happen. To be frank, I always believe happiness is the most important, not the knowledge that it is out there.

So back to Mr Brady. He sounds down to earth, decent and definitely overhyped in terms of his personal life. There are tonnes of other people out there doing worse stuff, so just let him do his work on the field. So he said, "There got to be more out there. If not, that will be too easy." Yeah, some people are lucky and get what they want for trying. I didn't. But then again, I felt happy that there is one adventurous guy like that. The limelight he fought for and gained. Anyway, he is the type of guy I believe I will support as a fan or friend, although I am neither actually. But he does get my attention with what he does in the game, and seriously, I really hope the fairy tale tune ends with another ring. Good teams should be rewarded for their hard work. Unfortunately, Colts won't meet them in the Superbowl. They will probably meet, but in the conference finals. What a downer. The final before the final. Anyway, that's done, and next year, maybe I'll watch Tony Romo more. I knew the guy is good, except in New Jersey, I tend to get more guys hating Cowboys than not. Like my roommate.

Return of the...

This is my first return to Singapore in 2 years. Learnt some, lost some. Things seems the same. Not much have changed. Its not the exponential growth people always talk about after 3 years abroad. For me, its even less. What do you expect? Opposition party constituency. Things did grow, some didn't.

To start though, my flight was delayed about 6 hours in Germany, re-routed to Thailand, delayed another 3 hours, and lost half a day by the time I reached Singapore. I rather this is on the way back to USA though. That wasn't too nice, although I did look for a few friends once I'm back. My friend at the computer store, my buddies, my friends at Reuters and school. Not bad for a self proclaimed loner through school. Of course, visitation is only halfway through. I'm sure more relatives will come along soon. Whatever the case, life seems ok.

Today is my fifth day in Singapore, nothing is up yet, although things do look a bit boring. I'm not the time to do mass visitations. No partying, no drinking. Probably not much else, but some shopping. Most friends aren't free anyway. Work, work and work, to make money, money and more money. Things do get more pragmatic as you grow up, if not materialistic. Fortunately, there are always times where only companionship matters. Friends , family, life.

News is kind of boring as I expected. Not much going on in Singapore. I guess it is a good thing from a pacifist perspective. Anyway, more time with family then. Ja ne.